IMPORTANT | | | Show of Solidarity | Ukraine ‘Not Alone’ as Central European Leaders Visit Kyiv While half of the city’s residents have fled and the Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital continues, the prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic risked a perilous train journey into Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Tuesday night. Czech PM Petr Fiala told Ukrainians that they are “not alone,” affirming, “Europe stands with you.” Next week Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, will meet in Brussels for a NATO summit on the invasion. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said Russian negotiations have become “more realistic” as he conceded that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO. (Sources: The Guardian, AP, BBC, Business Insider) |
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| | | | | The War and US | Russia Sanctions Americans as Zelenskyy Prepares to Address Congress While Russia’s economy feels the sting of international sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow lashed out with sanctions of its own against White House officials as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Citing the “extreme Russophobic policy” of the Biden administration, Moscow posted a “stop list” blocking the sanctioned Americans from the country. “None of us are planning tourist trips to Russia,” press secretary Jen Psaki responded. Meanwhile, President Biden is expected to announce $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday as President Zelenskyy makes a virtual address to a joint session of Congress this morning. (Sources: NPR, The Hill, ABC News) |
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| | | A Striking Cause | Haitian Health Workers Strike as Kidnappers Run Rampant Kidnappings for ransom have risen 180% in the island nation over the past year as gang violence and political instability threaten citizens’ daily lives. In response, health care workers staged a three-day strike beginning Monday, shutting down public and private health institutions, with only emergency rooms accepting patients. While the attacks haven’t targeted any specific professions, the recent kidnapping of two doctors has sparked fears for hospital workers. The situation in Haiti has become increasingly dire since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July, and the number of Haitians fleeing the country has ballooned in recent months. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | | Boosters for Boomers | Pfizer Seeks Approval for Second COVID Booster for Older Adults While for most people a three-shot inoculation still prevents hospitalization or death from COVID-19, immunity fades over time. Pharma giant Pfizer said it will ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize a second round of booster shots for adults aged 65 and over. But drug companies and health experts are divided on the effectiveness of multiple boosters. Moderna president Stephen Hoge suggested they were needed for the elderly and immunocompromised, but doubted they should be required for all citizens. “Is it necessary? I think that's a strong word,” Hoge said, adding, “I personally will get a booster every year.” (Sources: NPR, Business Insider) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: U.S. Senate votes unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent. The Sunshine Protection Act still needs approval from the House and President Biden before it becomes law. (Source: AP) Suspect arrested in string of homeless murders. Two days after a multistate manhunt, Washington, D.C., police said they have a suspect behind bars. (Source: BBC) Sarah Bloom Raskin withdraws from Federal Reserve Board nomination. Her decision came after it became clear she wouldn’t have enough votes for confirmation in the Senate due to her stance on climate change. (Source: CNN) |
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| | | INTRIGUING | | | Love (and Learn) Thy Neighbor | Duolingo Reports Huge Increase in Users Learning Ukrainian The popular language app is putting its money where its mouth is. All ad revenue Duolingo makes from people learning to speak Ukrainian will be donated to relief efforts in the war-torn country for at least the next year. And that’s a pretty admirable commitment, considering the number of Ukrainian learners has jumped 485% since the war began. That spike is dwarfed, though, by the 1,800% increase in Poland alone. The country has accepted more than 1.8 million Ukrainian refugees already and more Polish people are welcoming Ukrainians into their homes every day. (Source: NPR) |
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| | | | | Build It Black | First Ever Black Architect Wins Pritzker Prize Francis Kéré grew up without running water or electricity in a rural town in Burkina Faso and his first project was a mud-brick school for his community. Now he’s the first Black architect to win the highest accolade in international architecture. While the award is often seen as a sort of lifetime achievement award near the end of an architect’s career, Kéré is just getting started. After making a name for himself with community-built schools and medical facilities in Africa, his upcoming works include the new Goethe Institute in Senegal, a museum in Rwanda and a civic center for a university in Munich. (The Guardian) |
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| | | More Sun, More Sneezing | Warming Climate Could Be a Nightmare for Seasonal Allergies A new study in Nature Communications looks ahead to the end of the 21st century and foresees great doom for those of us who suffer from allergies every spring. University of Michigan researchers used historical pollen data and various climate models to determine that if carbon emissions continue at the current pace, pollen season could start 40 days earlier and last 19 days longer, increasing the amount of pollen released in the U.S. by almost 40%. That’s on top of the fact that allergy season has already been getting longer and more intense over the past three decades. (Source: NBC News) |
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| | | The Queen of Tejano Lives On | New Selena Album Expected Next Month, 26 Years After Her Death Selena Quintanilla Perez was an international superstar when she was tragically gunned down by the president of her own fan club on March 31, 1995, just a month before her 24th birthday. Now the late Grammy-winning artist’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, has announced that a new 13-song album of her music will be released next month. It will feature arrangements written by her brother, A.B. Quintanilla, and album art by her sister, Suzette Quintanilla. Selena’s 13-year-old voice was digitally altered to sound like her more mature voice on one of the songs on the album. (Source: The Hill) |
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| | | Amp Up the Madness | March Madness Betting Expected to Reach Record High This Year Nine states — Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming — all launched legal sports betting markets since last year, giving 29 million more Americans access to betting on this year’s March Madness. The American Gaming Association estimates that could result in 45 million Americans wagering a combined $3.1 billion on the 2022 men’s college basketball tournament. Interestingly, 76% of the money wagered will go to non-bracket bets, signaling a shift toward single-game betting outside of traditional bracket pools. Good luck, basketball fans: Maybe this year is your year. (Source: Axios) |
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